1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer simulations for training. More particularly, the present invention relates to a time driven, computer simulation based electric power system training software package designed to train power system operators and the associated process.
2. Background Information
The electric power industry currently uses computer mathematical models to analyze power systems. Companies such as EPRI, PTI, General Electric, Siemens and Areva have developed power system modeling software packages for a variety of applications including power system control and system planning. None of these existing packages was developed primarily to train power system operators, and are limited with regard to such a purpose. When power system computer models are used to perform analyses of power systems, they are typically used to investigate what-if scenarios and determine the cost of various alternatives related to the building or upgrading of facilities. Usually the time domain is of no interest in applications of this type. The analyses are performed on specific snapshots of system conditions. Conditions change from snapshot to snapshot but time is not associated with these snapshots.
When power system computer tools were first used for training purposes, power system operators used planning and system operation computer programs which were designed for those purposes and not for operator training. Power system operators were presented with a static state of the power system and, under supervision of an instructor, were asked to take action to fix a recognized problem. As computing power increased, computer model developers were able to have certain aspects of a static state change due to a spontaneous external command from the instructor thus causing operators to need to respond to changing conditions. The student operator undergoing training would respond to changing conditions by varying generator outputs, capacitor settings and line configurations to keep voltages within range and keep lines from overloading. The student operator would balance these critical parameters for the duration of the simulation and the student operator and the instructor would observe in “real time” whether his actions were sufficient to meet operating standards. If the operator took any seriously wrong actions or failed to act the system might “black out” causing a need to start over. For the most part, the system provided no history or record of events of operator action.
There remains a need for an effective computer time driven, computer simulation based electric power system training software package designed to train power system operators.